Major reshuffle in AJK bureaucracy

5 March 2009The Dawn

Muzaffarabad: In a massive reshuffle, the Azad Kashmir (AJK) government on Thursday transferred several secretaries and additional secretaries as well as divisional and district administration officials in a move overdue since its assumption of office nearly two months ago. According to two separate notifications, additional chief secretary-general (ACS-G) Raja Arif Khan was transferred as secretary works and communication (post upgraded to BPS-21 to his extent) in place of Salim Bismil who was transferred as secretary Local Government and Rural Development (LG&RD). Raja Farooq Niaz, senior member, Board of Revenue (BoR), was transferred as ACS-G as well as secretary, Services and General Administration (S&GAD). The incumbent secretary, S&GAD, Fayyaz Akhtar Chaudhry, was transferred after more than five years as secretary forests, wildlife and fisheries in place of Sardar Rahim Khan who was transferred as secretary physical planning and housing. Secretary, President Secretariat, Chaudhry Khurshid Ahmed was made in charge senior member BoR and was succeeded in the secretariat by additional secretary (AS) Ms Midhat Akram. Sardar Javaid Ayub, secretary Islamic Ideological Council (IIC), was made secretary information technology (almost a non-existent post) whereas secretary social welfare and religious affairs Syed Nazirul Hassan Gillani was repatriated to IIC as secretary. The previous government had wrongly inducted Mr Gillani (from the IIC) into the Civil Secretariat. The food department, earlier held by Fayaz Akhtar Chaudhry along with S&GAD, was given to secretary agriculture and animal husbandry Sardar Naeem Shiraz. Secretary industries Ilyas Abbasi was transferred as secretary social welfare and religious affairs whereas secretary LG&RAD Tariq Bashir Shaikh was transferred as chairman Prime Minister's Inspection Team. Secretary physical planning and housing Engr Sardar Altaf Khan was posted as secretary planning and development department and also coordinator Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project. Prime minister's principal secretary Chaudhry Munir Hussain was transferred as secretary industries, labour and mineral resources (also administrative secretary of Tevta). However, his replacement was not made in the PM Secretariat. Dr Shahla Waqar, additional secretary (finance), was transferred as additional secretary (PM Secretariat) in place of Irshad Qureshi who was transferred as additional secretary (home). Ms Waqar was also given the charge of director implementation-monitoring in the PM Secretariat. Additional Secretary (home) Mohammad Zafar Khan was posted as coordinator District Reconstruction Unit (DRU) Rawalakot while Raja Mohammad Razzaque, additional secretary law, was transferred as additional secretary, President Secretariat. On the administration side, Commissioner Poonch Division Shaukat Majeed Malick was transferred as commissioner Muzaffarabad division in place of Chaudhry Abdul Qayyum who was transferred as commissioner Mirpur division in place of Ehsan Khalid Kiani who was appointed as Mirpur Development Authority chairman. Commissioner Rehabilitation Sardar Khurshid Khan was transferred as commissioner Poonch whereas additional commissioner rehabilitation Shaikh Khalil Ahmed was given additional charge of commissioner rehabilitation. Raja Tariq, coordinator DRU Rawalakot, was transferred as deputy commissioner Bhimber in place of Arshad Mehboob who was transferred as DC rehabilitation Mirpur. Khawaja M. Naeem, DC rehabilitation Mirpur, was transferred as DC Bagh in place of Mohammad Raqeeb who was attached with the S&GAD.